=--------------------------------------------------------------------------= ___ _ _ ___ ' | ` |__| |__` oooo | | | |__, .ooooo. o 88 ---------------------------------------------------- o8" `"o8 88 ooo oo888oo ooo ooo ooo oo ooo ooo ooo d8' " 88 8 ,8' `8. 8"8 8 8 o8' 8 8"8 8 d8 88 8 88 88 8 8 8 8o' 8 8 8 8 88 oooo 88 8 88 88 8 8 8 88o 8 8 8 8 88 di 88 ,o 8 `8. ,8' 8 8.8 8 `8. 8 8 8.8 `88. ,8i o88ooooo'o8o `"ooooo"' o8o o8o o8o `8o o8o o8oo o8 (c)"88oood' =--------------------------------------------------------------------------= [ January 12, 2006 ] [ UTATU -VALLEY LAKE- ] ________________________________________________________________ This vast lake occupies most of the northern portion of the Utatu Mountain Valley. Bordered on its east shore by the valley forest and on the south side by the valley grassland, this body of water is the source which feeds the mighty canyon river. Jutting out from the northern most part of the lake, a long channel of water flows towards the north and into the canyon where it starts its descent towards the Utatu River as the crashing and violent canyon river. The water is a pristine and strikingly bright blue mountain water, completely pure and some of the most delicious possible. A replenishing supply of it come from the west, where a twin set of gorgeous thin waterfalls cascades off of a cliff on the western wall from some underground source. You immediately feel relaxed and soothed by the magnificent beauty of this incredible lake and it's surroundings. [ (N)orth to the (C)anyon (O)pening ] [ (E)ast to the (V)alley (F)orest ] [ (S)outh to the (V)alley (C)enter ] [ (B)ottom of the (W)aterfalls ] [IC] RAMIA, female leopard [IC] DARWUZI, male panther ________________________________________________________________ CURRENT DAY CYCLE: Evening. CURRENT SEASON: The Dry Season CURRENT WEATHER: Warm, moonlit night and medium winds DARWUZI This simple creature, whose pelt is void from all colors, looks to be the average length of 7 feet, including tail. His black pelt is tussled in various directions, showing that he rarely cares to groom himself or that he's purposely keeping it fray so light doesn't reflect of his pelt easily. He stands at an easy 3 feet from ground to shoulder. Most muscles hidden under his loose skin to make himself appear bigger than normal. To anyone that glances at him, he appears to be just any other panther roaming the lands. If someone were to take a closer inspection, however, they would find clear distinctive marks that seperate this panther from another. Red eyes surround his black pupil instead of the common gold corona. His muzzle, though average in many physical ways, sports white whiskers that extend 7" or so. Intelligence can be seen in his eyes, and by the way he moves and looks, there's a soul to direct the intelligence correctly. The row of black dots along his whiskers signifies his name, though one must know it first. It's tricky to see such a marking, though. RAMIA A young-adult female leopard, she's about as average as they come as far as build goes, though she's a bit less stocky than some. When it comes to coloration, though, that's where she stands out. Rather than the sandy gold that underlies most leopards' coats, hers is a faded buff-tan, and the rosettes over this color are a reddish brown. White encircles her eyes, and saturates her paws and underside, along with the thick and fluffy tuft at the end of her ringed tail. Her eyes are pale, a soft jade-green color. KISHUSHI Leopards tend to be fairly stocky cats, but Kishushi isn't the best example of that trait; as well as being rather smaller than the usual, she is reasonably delicate, with a long curve her neck and back. Her spots are thickly clustered there, blurred black trailing along her spine and the upper side of her tail. On her flanks and the upper part of her legs, the pattern is one of close black rosettes, with a deep gold showing between them, and a slightly more brownish tint within. The looser fur on her belly, as well as up to her throat, is a muted, grayish shade. This also edges her muzzle, and smudges around her eyes. Her eyes are a cool grey that leans towards green or blue as the surrounding light changes. Her expressions tend to change with a similar slow shift, round ears turning forward or to the side, but rarely back, to match her patterns of interest and mood. One of the travelling cats, the male, is up and sitting by the shoreline of the lake, peering into the water. With his paw poised above the surface and his gaze focused on the surface, anyone who's had experience catching fish would know he's getting dinner. Judging by the already-caught fish near the shore, it's easy to see he's been at it for a while, and quite successful. Darwuzi's pelt shimmers from the moon and starlight above, allowing him to be seen quite clearly in this serene area. The male's travel companion, at this point in time, is unknown, but he knows she's nearby somewhere. The female mentioned is, in fact, only a short distance away, tucked away under the shade of some brush, curled into a fluffy ball and dozing quietly. The pair have spent more time by this lake than she originally had planned, but she can't see any hurry to move on yet, and it is a lovely area. Kishushi steps out from the forest, barely into sight: the shadows are flattened by the night even with strong moonlight, and her dark-spotted pelt serves to conceal her quite effectively, so long as she is still. Her eyes glint sudden green as she turns her head slightly, watching Darwuzi's posing. She has been in an assessing mood for some days now, and recently frankly tracking the male's scent. Darwuzi is not ignorant of his surroundings; he can hear the female snoozing off in the bushes, but when he's honing in on a fish just beneath his paw, nothing else matters. Another swipe into the lake and out comes a fish. Two fish should be sufficent for Ramia, he thinks. He crushes the floundering fish in his jaws, then picks up the second and begins to move in the direction of the bushes, ready to wake the other up. In transit, however, he pauses, lifting his nose to try and pick out a scent that isn't fishy nor is Ramia-y. Someone else must be nearby. The smell of freshly-caught and partially crushed fish is enough to permeate the senses of even a sleepy leopard. Uncurling slowly, her back arches and claws unsheath for an instant as she flexes her forepaws. Peering out blearily towards the sound of the approaching male, she gives a quieter-than-usual yawn, uncoiling her tail with a flick before rolling smoothly to all fours and slipping out from her hiding place. She moves to greeet him, a soft purr in her throat, before she notices that his attention is distracted. She, too, turns her gaze towards the hidden feline, her nostrils flaring as she takes a few curious sniffs. The smell of freshly-caught and partially crushed fish is enough to permeate the senses of even a sleepy leopard. Uncurling slowly, her back arches and claws unsheath for an instant as she flexes her forepaws. Peering out blearily towards the sound of the approaching male, she gives a quieter-than-usual yawn, uncoiling her tail with a flick before rolling smoothly to all fours and slipping out from her hiding place. She moves to greet him, a soft purr in her throat, before she notices that his attention is distracted. She, too, turns her gaze towards the hidden feline, her nostrils flaring as she takes a few curious sniffs. Kishushi makes a faint sound of approval deep in her throat as she watches Darwuzi's easy fishing. Her eyes track his moving, and beyond--Kishushi's surprised expression as the other female comes into view is concealed by the shadows, but the suddenly-fast flick of her tail causes some noise, the faint but nearly unmistakable sound of fur sliding over bark. Aware of having thus betrayed herself, and in any case not having been far from intentionally making herself know, Kishushi steps all the way out onto the open ground. Just so he isn't caught looking foolish with fish in his mouth, Darwuzi drops the fish in front of the female and peers over his shoulder to the new arrival. While he should be looking at Ramia to see if she knows this other leopardess, the male has all his attention devoted to the new arrival. He isn't awe-struck by the other's apperance, but he is curious. It could be percieved by anyone to be a type of attractive curiosity. Regardless, the panther turns so that he's facing towards the arrival but keeps by Ramia's side, still curious what the other will do. This is a water source; no need for him to think there's another reason other than drinking or fishing. Ramia likewise seems a little surprised, and somewhat curious, as the newcommer makes herself more visible. She turns to search Darwuzi's expression for signs of recognition, but finds none. The fact that the male's attention is suddenly and completely devoted to someone else makes her feel a tad uneasy, though she does her best not to show it outwardly. It's not like the pair really have any obligations to each other at this point, but it still feels a little awkward. Turning her jade eyes back to Kishushi, she attempts a small, albeit friendly smile, her tail curling languidly behind her. "Evening." "Night," Kishushi answers--corrects, perhaps--with a slow nod of her own, giving herself time to assess what she can tell of Ramia's appearance and attitude. She has a faitn sense that the other's markings are somewhat pale, though it's difficult to tell in even moonlight dark. Then her gaze swings back to the male, and a quirked smile mutely acknowledges his interest. Behind, her tail has gone back to a pendulum swing of the tip, held at a neutral angle. Darwuzi's gaze is broken when Ramia speaks, and he turns to offer her a smile before looking back to the arrival. His paws fix themselves in the earth directly between his legs and his tail taps at his side, looking vigilant as ever. "I'm Darwuzi," the male begins, deciding introductions are necessary. He pauses for a moment, as if expecting the other female to reply, but quickly cuts in with, "And this is Ramia." There, the association is made. He knows Ramia can speak for herself, but this way she'll feel a little more comfortable that he isn't distancing himself from his travel partner at the first signs of another female. "Are you here to fish, or just passing through?" he asks. Ramia's ear gives a tiny flick at the correction, though no other signs of annoyance are betrayed, and she continues to observe the other female with a similar air of scrutiny. She's inwardly comforted as Darwuzi introduces her, and decides to keep her mouth shut for the moment, unable to think of anything worth adding to his question. Almost unconsciously, she shifts a little closer to her companion, her tail continuing to curl and uncurl obstinately. "I wasn't planning on fishing, no," Kishushi replies to Darwuzi. She turns herself a little to face him more comfortably, her attention fairly focused, although her nearer ear does keep twitching, cupping towards Ramia, catching, for now, only the small noises of her shifting position. "I wouldn't trust noticing them at night, not with the starlight scattering things--that was a real catch you made." Darwuzi looks to Ramia to offer a faint smile, but his attention snaps back on the other leopardess when a compliment is issued to him. He doesn't get many of those, but it wouldn't be the first time he heard it about his skill in fishing. "Thanks," he purrs softly. The male's tail shifts across Ramia's before darting away so he can stand on his paws, looking as if he were going to move out and greet the female. "We're on something of a trip. Know of any places to go outside of Utatu?" he asks curiously. Ramia returns the male's faint smile with a somewhat-feeble one of her own, before she turns again to watch the stranger. "And what is your name?" The question asked, she once more falls silent, and though feeling a little less uncertain at Darwuzi's reassurance she seems to have retreated into a rather shy temperment for now. Tail curling forward, its tip giving a few continuous curling flicks, the pale-furred leopard delicately sits, her ears cupping curiously as she listens to hear what Kishushi's response might be, both to her inquiry and to Darwuzi's. "I haven't the faintest," Kishushi says, not trying to dissemble or even pause before admitting her ignorance, although she does give a quick, apologetic shrug. There is a gap before she angles herself slightly to Ramia, and says, "I'm Kishushi." There is a lilt to either end of her name, and a rougher pause in the middle, a shadow of Leopards' coughing call. "Kishushi," the male repeats, as if trying to remember it. The panther looks behind him to Ramia, smiling lightly, then gives a polite nod to the other leopardess. "A pleasure to meet you." He sits back down after his momentary stand, deciding he needn't go anywhere after all. It would be rude to get up and leave after greeting this new leopardess, but it would be even more rude to trod off without Ramia. He needs to wait for her; plus she has a meal to eat. "Are you from around here?" he offers to continue the conversation if she's interested. Kishushi shakes her head. "A good ways off," she says, not offering more detail, at least on this earl acquaintance, but that isn't rude in an often-solitary species with carefully-held territories. She doesn't have a precisely settled look about her, but is well-kept; if she's been traveling a distance recently, it doesn't show and something done hurried. "I think you are, with your manner?" she ends on a rising note, with a polite glance away, giving the male space to side-step from the assumption should he wish to. Ramia is unsure what to make of this leopardess, for now. She seems polite enough, but it's not really in Ramia's nature to be particularly friendly with leopards of the same gender. However, since this isn't her territory, and Kishushi isn't making any threatening advances, she keeps herself in a stance of neutrality, a wallflower hanging on the fringes of the conversation. Darwuzi seems to be the leader of the conversation. He can't tell whether this is because he's the only male, or that he might be the eldest present. He can't gauge Kishushi's age, nor will he directly ask. Even he knows that's rude. "I used to live here. I..." He turns, looking to Ramia for a moment, then smiles, "don't have a home currently. We're wandering. I used to live down in the Kopje lands." He isn't sure if he needs to fill in more than that. The panther moves over to give Ramia a nudge so she pipes into the conversation. "After breakfast I think we're close to heading off though. Going deeper into Utatu, or finding our way to another lands nearby." "Good travelling to you, Ramia," Kishushi says with a nod and look to her, "and to you, Darwuzi. Perhaps I'll see you somewhere about?" It might only be a co-incidence of stance and timing that has her saying this last as she looks into the distance to one side of the other two, with a flicking glance to the male, and a faint smile, on her last few words. Then she is moving, slipping smoothly around and back into the dark of the forest, with one last upward flick of her tail, the white underside of it comparatively flashy against the background of the night. Ramia merely gives a nod of affirmation to Darwuzi's words as he coaxes her to do so, but remains determinedly quiet until Kishushi addresses her directly, at which point she offers a nod in return, and again displays that mildly-amiable smile. "Thank you." She watches the other disappear into the trees, her quiet demeanor persisting for a few moments as she lifts a paw to her muzzle, giving it a few licks before drawing over her whiskers in a grooming motion. Finally, she turns to Darwuzi, giving him a curious look, as if trying to gauge what he thought of the encounter. =--------------------------------------------------------------------------=